Into The Night
by chunkeymonkey
Summary: Set after events of Oracle. Clark needs to go for a drive to clear his head. He asks Chloe to come along. Oneshot, the first in my series of 3 fics of my take on the events from Oracle through Vessel and beyond.


The keys hanging from the ignition jingled as Clark turned his truck down the gravel road. The soft tinkle broke the silence in the night air. Driving always seemed to calm him down when he was feeling ill at ease. Maybe it was the monotonous hum of the engine, maybe it was freedom of the open road. Whatever it was he felt relaxed and at peace, at least for the moment. Chloe was seated next to him, her head resting up against the open window frame. Her gaze was focused up into the dark, moonless horizon. It was one of those nights where Clark felt as if the sky was threatening to swallow everyone whole. "Thanks for coming with me".

He felt her stir beside him, and saw her turn her head to look at him; she simply smiled. Clark had been feeling downhearted all evening, since receiving the card from his father. He didn't expect that seeing something as simple as his handwriting would affect him so greatly. He knew he missed his him; he felt the emptiness everyday. But till that exact moment, it was as if his death wasn't real. Till tonight he could somehow kid himself into thinking that he was just gone for the moment; a temporary leave of absence. But when he realized that this would be the first of many birthdays without his father, the reality finally sunk in. Chloe, like always, had been an enormous relief to him. She always seemed to know what to say in moments like that. Moments where it feels like the world is caving in on you.

_"But that wasn't your father's only gift"._

Her voice echoed through his mind. She had explained to him how the way his father raised him, and loved him, was his true and everlasting gift. To hear her honest, heartfelt words seemed to sooth his injured soul. She was always doing things like that, saving him in his darkest hours. But before he had a chance to catch his breath, he was thrown head first into another crisis--Zod was coming. He had read the paper out loud and remembered the fear registering on Chloe's face. Suddenly he felt the world caving in again.

"_It's going to be alright Clark. I can feel it_". She had said trying to reassure him. Her tone was calm yet forceful. He could hear the resolve in her voice.

She always believed in him, no matter what. He closed his eyes and took a long deep breath. His only fear was that he would let her down. "_Chloe, I need to go for a drive, to clear my head_."

Chloe had nodded and begun to stand up. "_No. Wait_." He had said, reaching out to grab her arm. "_Will you come with me? I don't want to be alone. Not tonight". _The way the corners of her eyes had crinkled as she smiled told him all he needed to know.

"_I'm yours'_"

Clark now slowed the truck to a crawl and pulled over next to a large cornfield.

"Where are we?" Chloe asked, leaning forward to get a better look out of the fog covered windshield. "Landers field?"

Clark turned the engine off and took in the surroundings. It seemed like forever since he had been here. Ground zero. He hadn't planned on coming here, yet somehow found himself aiming his truck down the deserted Smallville streets in that very direction "This is a very special place, Chloe. Meteor rocks weren't the only object to land here years ago." He glanced over to see her now at full attention. She was sitting bolt upright and scanning the area intently.

"Whaddya mean? This isn't…..is it?" She said, giving him an inquiring look.

"Yeah it is. This is where my parents found me." Clark watched with mild amusement as he saw excitement flicker across her face.

"Clark, what made you want to come here?'

"I honestly don't know. It was as if I was being pulled towards it. Like I had no choice"

She raised an eyebrow suspiciously.

"Not literally though Chloe" he laughed, anticipating what she must have been thinking.

"Well you know, with all the stuff we have been through, it wouldn't surprise me." She said, her laughter reverberating out into the empty field.

"I don't know why I came here. Maybe it's been too long, that's why. I don't know. But whatever the reason, here it is. This is where it all started."

The two exchanged thoughtful looks. "So it is, so it is. I must say then, I have a rather affinity for this piece of real estate". She smiled coyly, a mischievous glint in her eyes.

Clark attempted a pitiful smile in return. He knew how Chloe felt about him; of course she would take a liking to the area. But Clark hated it. Here was where it all began. This was where he and thousands of meteor rocks crashed violently into the earth, forever altering the fate of a sleepy little Kansas town. Tonight's events made him wonder if it was not only Smallville's future he held in the palm of his hand, but the entire planets. "I still can't help but wonder what this place would be like if I had never been sent here at all"

"Impossibly dull". Chloe snarked.

"No, I mean really"

"I mean it Clark. Yeah the meteor induced side effects have been unwanted, and bizarre to say the least. But think about all the exciting Torch material I would have missed out on if you hadn't of been around?" She gave him a soft poke in the ribs, but he felt uncomforted. She saw the look on his face and could sense his displeasure. "I'm just kidding, you know. Think about all the people in your life, and how they would be without you? You gave your parents the gift of raising a child, something they longed to do. And think about all the people you saved? Half of the town would be gone if it wasn't for you. Not to mention, who would be my best friend?"

Clark felt a genuine smile forming and looked to see Chloe giving him a wink. "That's true". He felt his smile grow even wider. She always knew how to break through to him.

"Look up there". She sighed, pointing up towards the empty sky. "Do you ever wonder if there are other Krypton like worlds out there?"

Clark's gaze followed her hand as it pointed to the darkest corner over the field. He had often wondered the same thing. Were there other civilizations out there? Were they like Krypton or more like Earth? Were they happy and peaceful places? Or have they all been destroyed? Was there anyone else sent here, to Earth, like he was? "Yeah. Sometimes."

"I wonder if there are others like you, from other worlds, just wandering around Earth". Once again, Chloe seemed to be reading his own thoughts. "I wonder if they would have powers, like you?"

"I don't know Chloe. If there are others, I hope for their sake that they don't".

It took a few moments before she spoke. "Why would you say that? You have all these amazing gifts. Gifts that mere mortals could only dream about."

"A lot of good they've gotten me". Clark could see the expression on her face, and it was obvious that he was going to have to delve a little deeper. "Chloe, it's because of these _amazing_ powers that I have had to lie to everyone I care about. I could never be myself fully, for fear of being taken away, becoming a lab rat. I lost Lana because I couldn't be honest with her. First I thought she just couldn't handle the truth, like she would blame me for her parents 'death. Then as time passed I realized I didn't trust her with knowing my secret." Chloe looked taken aback, clearly not expecting to hear him say that. "And I had to lie to you for years. I'm truly sorry for that."

"It's ok" She said placing a supportive hand on his shoulder.

"No, see it's not. I hate to hurt people I care about, and yet I have been doing it everyday of my life by not being honest. It's all because of these powers, without them I could just blend into the woodwork. No one would ever suspect anything".

"Is that what you really want though?" She studied him as he looked blankly out the window. "It is, isn't it? After everything, you still wish you could be normal?"

Clark drummed his fingers lightly on the steering wheel. He felt embarrassed to admit that after everything that had happened the past few months, that he still had fleeting wishes to be mortal again. It had been such a great desire of his once, and the yearning was hard to shake. "I suppose not. I think it would be a whole lot easier though. And yes I did want to be normal, for a long time. But not anymore. Look what it cost me".

Chloe eased back into the seat and mirrored Clark, staring out the window. Clark knew without a single word that she understood. The two sat in silence for a while before she spoke again. "Clark, you never could of known."

He could feel his muscles tense and the blood begin to rage through his veins. He couldn't deny the obvious any longer. He had to accept responsibility. "No Chloe, no excuses. I should have known better, that no good can come from dealing with Jor El. But I didn't care, and I lost my dad because of my own selfish reasons." He brought a hand up to his face to wipe away a single tear that had managed to break free, despite his struggle.

"Clark, I know you love Lana..."

_"Loved,_ Chloe. _Loved_."

She seemed taken aback, clearly not expecting to hear him say that. "But I know you never would have willingly put your father in danger. It's not your fault."

Clark hung his head low. As much as it meant to hear those words, he wished he could fully believe them. No matter how long he lived he would regret that day. If only he had known the consequences. It was too late now, but for whatever it was worth, he had learned not to mess with fate. As he rubbed the emotion from his eyes he felt a pair of arms wrap themselves tightly around his broad shoulders. He glanced up to see Chloe embracing him, her head balancing in the curve of his neck. He felt a surge of contentment flush through his body, and his tense muscles relaxed. He sighed and lay his head down upon hers. "Chloe…what am I going to do about ..?" He didn't need to say the word Zod out loud for her to know what he meant. He felt her head shift and heard her whisper.

"Clark I don't know what is going to happen. But whatever does, just know I am right here beside you, always."

He felt her squeeze him even tighter. He closed his eyes and wanted to stay trapped in this moment. All his past regrets and fears for the future dissolved away as he wrapped his arm around her, pulling her in closer. As they sat there, entwined, time seemed to cease. He found respite in the closeness of her body, her warmth; he could hear her heat beat. It had been a rough year, but throughout it all she had been there for him. She accepted him unconditionally, and for once in his life he didn't feel alone. He didn't know if he would have been able to survive the past year without her; she was now his emotional rock, confidante, and biggest supporter besides his mother.

Chloe had always been his best friend, but she had come to mean more to him than anyone. He vowed to make sure she knew just how much. Since they were alone he figured it was now or never. Zod was coming; he had no idea what was about to happen to them, to everyone. He couldn't risk the possibility of losing her without first telling her how much he loved her. Or rather, was in love with her. He felt his stomach turn somersaults. If he was going to do this, he had to do it now, less he chicken out. He felt as if time was running out, the world could be thrown into chaos at any time; he had to tell her before it was too late. There was no backing down. "Chloe. I need to tell you something. It's pretty hard, but it's important I tell you this, okay? So just bear with me". He felt himself laugh nervously. "But I think you will be pretty happy to hear this...as happy as I am to tell you" There was no response. "Chloe?" He whispered into her ear. Her body lay limp and motionless up against his. Clark softly shook her.

Gradually her head lifted and she smiled sheepishly as she pushed her disheveled hair out of her eyes. "I'm sorry Clark…I must of dozed off." She yawned and released Clark from her grip to stretch. "Long nights at the Planet will do this to you. Besides you were so warm and comfortable".

"Well it's a Kent family trait" He said teasingly. She gave him a sleepy smile and a lump formed in his throat. He could feel his courage slipping away. This would have been so much easier to do if he didn't have to look back into those big, green eyes.

"Something wrong?" She asked, seeming to sense his unease.

Clark took a deep breath and debated just blurting it all out; getting it all out in the open and over with. _"Just like a band aid, like my mom says. Just rip it off"._ He thought. But he couldn't. Some invisible force seemed to be stopping him. The timing didn't feel right anymore. _"Fate is telling me it's not right. Do not mess with fate_".

"Clark?"

He snapped out of his thoughts and gave half hearted grin. "No Chloe, nothing's wrong. I was gonna tell you something, but I, uh, forgot."

She gave him a wary look.

"Maybe we should go. It's late, you're tired."

Chloe nodded her head in agreement and Clark started the engine. As they took off back down that gravel road again he chided himself for loosing his nerve. As much as he wanted to tell her at that exact moment, something was holding him back. _Maybe this just wasn't the right time_" He thought. "_This is too important to let fear push me into_. _I will tell her soon. When all I have on my mind is her. She deserves so much better that this". _He felt a wave a relief. _"Soon_" he thought, _"Soon_".

Minutes passed before Chloe's groggy voice broke the silence. "Are we there yet?"

He looked into her eyes, determined. "Yeah Chloe, we're almost there. If you hang on for just a little longer, I promise you, we will get there".


End file.
